Russia has declared Meta Platforms spokesperson Andy Stone as wanted, accusing him of criminal charges, as per the report from Russian news agency TASS on Sunday. Stone's name appeared on the wanted list of Russia's interior ministry, but no additional details were provided.
TASS mentioned that the Russian Ministry initiated a criminal investigation against Stone, but the specific details of the charges were not disclosed. The report referred to a statement in the Russian Ministry of Interior's database, stating, "Andy Mark Stone is wanted under an article of the Russian Criminal Code."
In March 2022, the Russian investigative committee began looking into what it called the "illegal actions of Meta's employees." It singled out Andy Stone, claiming he had allowed calls for violence against the Russian military on Meta's platforms, which, according to them, encouraged extremist behaviour. TASS reported that investigative steps were being taken as part of legal proceedings to address the actions of Andy Stone and other employees of the US corporation.
Last year, Russia's financial watchdog labelled Meta, which owns Facebook, as "extremists and terrorists." In April 2022, Russia added Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to a list of individuals prohibited from entering the country.
Since the beginning of its Ukraine war last year, Russia has significantly restricted media and social media freedom, prohibiting any criticism of its actions. Facebook and Instagram have been blocked in Russia since the start of the war, and people can only access them using a VPN, as reported by the news agency AFP. Twitter has also been banned, along with independent Russian media outlets that criticize the Kremlin.
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